Too many yummy lectin foods can hurt Lyme healing. Lectins a class of proteins in many plants, are common in our diet. Some experts say high lectin foods need to be completely eliminated because of the potential damage they do, others say no. What place do lectins have on your Lyme healing journey?
Nutrient dense foods are important to eat in recovering from Lyme, but everyone needs to be thoughtful. Many people with chronic Lyme learn they have intestinal permeability aka leaky gut. Those determined to heal, go through a gut repair protocol and clean up their diet.
Healing my gut was a big chunk of work that took discipline and patience. I want to keep it healed. You need to eat the right foods and eliminate foods that are aggravating your inflammatory pathways. Food choice is a big part of healing the gut and keeping it healthy. Lectins are another piece of the puzzle to pay attention to.
How Lectin Foods Can Hurt Digestion
Lectins are glycoproteins that have 2 carbohydrate binding sites. There are a variety of lectin compounds including gluten from wheat barley and rye, Avenin from oats and phytohemagglutinin from black, kidney and other beans. The different compounds act differently, but as a class of materials, lectins are part of the plants defense system.
Lectins Foods can hurt digestion especially in people who already have leaky gut. Lectins are a class of proteins that work in plants to communicate and protect. I only know a couple of the numerous ways these compounds can hurt a human being.
One way is by messing with the tight junction cells on the gut lining. The protein will stick to areas where the mucosal lining is thin and pull the cells apart creating leaks. A second way is that if these proteins travel into the blood stream, they can trigger a cytokine cascade which creates inflammation in the body. Both these effects inhibit healing, and should be stopped and reversed when possible.
Reduce Impact Of Dietary Lectin
Not everyone is willing to give up all the foods that add lectins to your plate. Fortunately you can break lectins down with heat, other methods and take supplements that help limit any damage. If you have issues with digestion, leaky gut or chronic illness you may want to eliminate the main sources from your diet while you are healing. If you choose to eat high lectin containing foods, prepare them in a way that helps minimize potential problems.
Beans
Soak then pressure cook beans to eliminate a large portion of the lectins. Some folks claim no soaking required, but I don’t agree. Set them up to soak before you go to bed. Dump and change the water before you cook them.
I used to boil beans for hours. No more. Pressure cooking is fast and effective. Get an electric pressure cooker if stove top pressure cooking makes you nervous. Do not cook beans in a crock pot or slow cooker, low heat does not breakdown the lectins.
Sprouting the smaller legumes is also a good option. As the bean sprouts the outer coating with the lectins goes away.
Grains
Fermenting wheat barley, and rye, also helps eliminate some part of the lectins. Think about fermented porridge or sour dough bread. Fermenting provides both increased shelf stability and an easier to digest product.
Protect Your Gut Health To Help Lyme Recovery
There are foods that help block the action of lectins in the gut, like okra, but most of them aren’t on my daily menu. For worst case scenarios, you end up in a restaurant with high lectin options, put some lectin blocking supplements in your jacket or purse. Pop a couple with your meal to minimize damage.
It is clear to me that even largely recovered it does me no good to eat foods that are hard on my digestion. I pay attention and work hard to keep my gut healthy. When I choose to eat high lectin content foods, I will prepare them with care. Think about what you might not want to overindulge on to keep your gut healthy.
The purpose of this blog is to share and educate on Lyme disease recovery strategies. The information provided here is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment or advice. All the material here is for information purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team